The Citadel Council
The Citadel is the governing body of the intergalactic government, but the Citadel Council is in charge of all of that. Made up of seven members from seven different races, The Citadel Council is widely considered one of the most powerful forces of influence in the universe, with very few who would hope to oppose them. This is due, in part, to the Council itself. Each of the seven members is elected to a term every ten Earth years, with many of the members staying in their position until death or they are persecuted for something unrelated to the Council itself. The Council used to consist of only three members, but due to the increase of Citadel controlled planets and a growing need for more opinions, the Council eventually expanded to seven members. Current Council Members Aetes Iallidri The Asari member of the Citadel Council, Aetes Iallidri is the third Iallidri council member since the Council's inception. She directly preceded her mother, Hermana Iallidri, who preceded her mother, Kilenia Iallidri, as a member of the Citadel Council. Much like the other members of the council, she ran a campaign to be elected into the position, and wasn't given the position as some right of passage or anything, despite what some of might say of her. Very reserved with those she is unfamiliar with but wise, open and polite with those she has met even just once, Aetes is the longest standing member of the current Council members, having served for more than 300 years in her current position. As such, she is considered the unofficial leader of the Council, often times being the tie-breaker in votes where the other six members are split 3-3. As mentioned, she is very reserved when speaking with people she is unfamiliar with. If she has even met the person once, and they left some impression upon her seeing as she sees upwards of a few hundred individuals each week, she is much more open and friendly. She is rarely seen outside of the Citadel Chambers of the Citadel itself, more often seen either in her office within the Citadel Chambers or in the main Council Meeting Chamber itself. Her home is connected to her office, meaning she never really has to leave the Citadel if she can help it. As such, her views and opinions on many matters within the Universe are primarily provided to her through word of mouth or news feeds, though she often prefers to have her own personal assistants provide information to her, as these individuals are those she has chosen to trust the most and knows the most of anyone. Bentlix The smallest member of the Council in height, but certainly not in influence, Bentlix is the only other member on the Council to have served his term for more than 200 years. More brash and quick to anger than his colleagues, Bentlix is a former Nibblonian general of the Tactical Cuddle Bun Division within the Hearts and Hugs Air-force of the Nibblonian Army. His campaign was a last minute event, having entered his name into the race three weeks before the vote for the new member was to begin. Some felt that it would be impossible for him to win, but thanks to the overwhelming support of the Spectres, including fellow Nibblonian Nibbler, and thanks to his military past providing a more militaristic eye to the Council proceedings, he skyrocketed to the top of the Council race, eventually winning over his two opponents. Bentlix is quick to anger, often times taking small insults as if he was being threatened to be fed to a Bugblatter Beast of Traal. Some have felt this makes him more of an outcast among the Council members, some of who have wished to see him retire. This is also in part to his constant battles with Alcoholism, of which he has spent at least three known month long visits to rehabilitation centers in an attempt to combat this. Elexis Santirown The newest member of the Council and the fifth Human elected to the Council itself, Elexis is the daughter of Citadel Commander Braxisn Santirown, and a decorated soldier herself. A veteran of over 100 battles, Elexis is a rarity among base level Human soldiers in that she rose through the ranks to command her own platoon, as well as developed a new fighting style to help combat unknown enemies, all within her first three years on her military career. Born and raised on military bases all across the various planets, Elexis is a soldier, scholar, tactician and expert negotiator. She can speak fifty primary languages fluently, has led several successful campaigns against the Citadel enemies, and is held in high regard among the Citadel, the Citadel armies, and the Universe as a whole. She eventually had to leave the army due to an irreversible injury which prevented her from standing for long periods of time, let alone run and fight for such lengths of time. Though surgery could have helped, as well as various cybernetic enhancements, Elexis is a Purist, feeling that her body was provided to her as her tool, and using cybernetic enhancements would be doing her a disservice. She takes pride in herself, rarely showing pain and even rarely letting things get to her. Tenilk Mesika A Vulcan diplomat, Tenilk is an oddity of a Council member in that he rarely is in the Council Chambers, or on the Citadel itself. A former Vulcan Government Leader, Tenilk sees himself as a political genius, having revolutionized the political structure of Vulcan and doing so while giving more money to various organizations in desperate need of repair. Spending most of his time on Vulcan, Tenilk was submitted for Council Member status by some of his colleagues. Depending on who you speak with, this was done either because he showed an interest in it in the past, or it was simply done as a prank by other Political leaders hoping to get a laugh, never expecting to see him have a seat on the Council. He often telecommutes his involvement with Citadel meetings, his hologram projected on his Council seat. Very few have seen him in Council meetings in person, and even fewer have talked with him anywhere on the Citadel's surface. Some feel he became too culture shocked by the Citadel's drastic difference to Vulcan, which makes him desire his home that much more. Uetos The only Jedi to serve as a Council Member, Uetos is a Zabrak Jedi Knight who trained directly under Ben Skywalker, the leader of the Jedi Order and Spectre, and is the newest member of the Council, only having served for a short ten year term thus far. Some feel his direct connection with the Jedi Council and his friendship with Ben Skywalker can lead to conflicts of interest in the future. Despite these allegations, Uetos is a calm headed master of the Force, and unlike many who hold the rank of Jedi Knight, he rarely draws his Sabre. Using it as more of a meditative tool rather than a weapon in battle. A master of manipulation with the Force, his infamous 'party trick' involves everyone in a particular room standing in a single spot for a moment before he lifts them all a foot off the ground. His ability in the Force is unmatched, as is his political mind, even without the need for the Jedi Mind Trick. Not much else is known about Uetos, unfortunately, seeing as he is a mere 23 years of age, making him the youngest Council member. He does enjoy attending parties and showing off his abilities, but is rarely seen as a showoff or as someone who sees himself higher than others. Psytrork A member of the Fallen who have allied themselves with The Guardians, Psytrork is described as a political mastermind and cunning warrior. Psytrork was recommended to the Council by current Council member Elexis Santirown, who helped broker the pact between his Fallen tribe and the Guardians. His clan, The House of Servitors, fight alongside the Guardians and their allies against the Darkness. A few of their members have even been given the honor of The Traveler's Gift, allowing them to officially become Guardians when they perish in battle. Psytrork is one such Fallen, taking the mantle of a Titan. In his campaign, he emphasized a need for a political leader from a faction or race that has not been properly represented on the Council before. He sites The Outer Rim Council as an example of beings having to take matters into their own hands, and how under a proposed system that he has, that everyone could be under a unified banner, providing aid to those in need and proper services for the various galaxies. He is often quick to propose violence when aggression is brought against the Citadel and its interests. Illiena A Namekian scholar and diplomat, Illiena claims to be a distant relative to the war hero Piccolo, a mythical warrior of the Namekian people who fought alongside Saiyans, a race of super powered fighters. Despite her 'ancestry," Illiena sees herself as more of a pacifist, always looking for a peaceful solution to a problem rather than choose violence. Raised primarily of Namek and brought to the Citadel as part of the Peace Negotiations between the two, Illiena grew to love the Citadel once she took her first step onto the space station. Seeing so many new races and cultures melding together made her love the universe more, and as such she chose to stay behind after the negotiations were through, choosing to travel to the various nearby planets to learn about the various races and cultures these planets inhabited. After a few years of travel, she eventually returned to the Citadel, where she immediately announced her desire to join the Council. Though there were no positions available at the time of her announcement, she was fast tracked to the top of the list thanks to her immense negotiation skills and political background. After three years of waiting, she finally got her wish, being brought into the Council after a very short race where she ran unopposed. Her decisions on the Council are often times non-violent whenever possible. If given the option between violence or negotiations, she chooses the latter in a heartbeat. Despite some of her fellow Council Members coming from military backgrounds, she gets along with the rest of the Council quite well, rarely leading to situations of drama or angst. She is also the newest member to the council, having only a few months in her chair after the departure of Dialgimond. Former Council Members Dialgimond From Petrosapien Elder to Council Member, Dialgimond had spent his life in various political circles, rarely having to have work a day in his life in terms of menial labor. Much like his diamond hard frame, Dialgimond is very tough, unwavering and hard to crack. He is rather single minded, and almost never went back on a decision or vote that he made once he made up his mind. Dialgimond was relatively new and yet short lived to the Council by comparison to his peers, spending only 55 total years in his position before announcing his surprise retirement. His stoic and tough nature gave him a Stone Wall approach to many of the Council proceedings, rarely asking questions of those brought before the Council and more focused on making a decision quickly. Some felt he made quick decisions because of how Petrosapien Elders made decisions. Many meetings between the Petrosapien Elders would last anywhere from five minutes to an hour, which is often times much, much quicker than Citadel Council matters. He was known for calling votes much earlier than any other Council Member, and those who are unfamiliar with him feel this is more to simply get the meeting over with rather than how he feels the political system works. He had gotten much better in his last few years, to the point where he can go an entire hour in some cases without even bringing up the notion of a vote. He announced his retirement from the Council citing health concerns. Hermana Iallidri Hermana Iallidri always idolized her mother, hoping to one day follow in her footsteps and join the Citadel Council. She spent much of her younger years studying the various political movements of the galaxies, with special emphasis on The Citadel and The Outer Rim. When her mother eventually announced she would not be running again, she immediately threw her metaphorical hat into the ring, gaining the popular vote for her previously displayed prowess in politics and for her family name. Her mother, however, felt she was not ready, and made it publicly known that she was voting for one of her daughter's rivals, a young and ambitious Sangheili known as Tor'Vadam. The two came head to head at nearly every debate, with the other five candidates not even coming close to them in the race. The two clearly had a hatred towards one another, and during their final debate, Tor'Vadam's hatred came forward in an unmistakable manner. During her closing arguments, a sniper attempted to assassinate Hermana, but thanks to a special biotic field placed around the candidates for safety and her own natural abilities with Biotics, she walked away with little more than a bruised arm. The assailant was captured and said outright that Tor'Vadam had hired him, to which the Sangheili didn't deny. Hermana would go on to serve on the Council for 450 years, eventually having the honor of welcoming her own daughter, Aetes, onto the council to take her place. She would sadly not get to see much of her daughter's time on the Council, as she passed away only a few years later. Kilenia Iallidri Kilenia Iallidri was the first Asari member of the Citadel Council, and was considered on of the more influential members the Council has had in it's long history. She helped to establish the space station the Council now calls home, and helped push forward the vote to change the number of members from three to seven. He time with the Council hardened her a bit, making her less of a sympathetic member of the council and more of a neutral force. She rarely took a side unless sufficient evidence was provided, and even more often abstained from votes whenever such a thing could not be done. No one is entirely sure why she stepped down from the Council when she did, but her daughter Hermana took her legacy and moved forward, keeping the Citadel in check and the Universe from falling into complete chaos. Council Hopefuls Fruldukkignh The Wookiees of Kashyyyk have been terribly underrepresented in recent years, or that's what the Wookiee candidate Fruldukkignh would have you believe. When the planet was attacked by an army of monsters later discovered to be the Taken under the command of Oryx, much of the larger and denser forests burned, leaving the planet scarred for generations to come. Many of the Wookiees, having many of their homes reside within said forests, have migrated to other planets in the hopes of starting over, but a large portion of the population has done what they can to restore their home. Fruldukkignh saw much of the horrors that ravaged her homeworld, and she sought to put an end to further pain for her people. A business minded woman, Fruldukkignh always thought she could do more for her planet, and has spent several years trying to do just that. She brokered deals with the Citadel and various manufacturing companies throughout the Galaxies to help rebuild her home planet, whether it be attempting to regrow the forests or utilizing more metals and other non-flammable materials in the construction of new homes, she has made a significant contribution to her homeworld. Venellia The Kineceleran rarely venture far from their homeworld Kinet, but it's usually because they have an aspiration that their speed focused homeworld cannot offer them. Such is the case with Venellia, who was injured at a young age, crippling her ability to travel at high speeds. Forced to move slower than everyone around her, she began to see the inherent beauty of the Universe around her, only to see that Beauty be marred by constant political struggles, both on her homeworld and from outside influences. So with a can-do attitude and a desire to make the Known Universe a better place for all, she uses her political influence to help her people, regardless of if they originate from Kinet or not.